In the glass-making industry, during the manufacturing process, glass articles taken to temperatures that may be as high as 800.degree. C. or 900.degree. C. are transported by conveyors having textile belts. These conveyor belts, which are tensioned and are supported by wheels, must be capable firstly of withstanding the traction and bending forces inherent to the mechanical conveyor system, and secondly of withstanding the temperature of the glass articles without giving rise to surface defects thereon.
The conveyor belts that are generally implemented are constituted by asbestos fibers having mechanical and thermal characteristic that enable them to fulfill the above conditions in satisfactory manner.
However, asbestos is known to be toxic and its use is now banned. No other fiber has the same mechanical and thermal characteristics as those shown by asbestos. It is therefore not possible to envisage obtaining a textile conveyor belt that satisfies the same specifications as those given above merely by replacing asbestos fibers with some other kind of fiber.